


Rain or shine

by Chyrstis



Series: You'll be okay, I promise [10]
Category: Far Cry 5
Genre: Developing Relationship, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-29
Updated: 2019-08-29
Packaged: 2020-09-28 21:15:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20432567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chyrstis/pseuds/Chyrstis
Summary: After a mission Sharky’s left with something he wasn’t prepared for: one sick deputy.





	Rain or shine

**Author's Note:**

> Just an excuse to write some shameless fluff, which got way out of hand because it demanded a bit more plot than originally intended. Also, apparently a fine chance for me to make a 2012 reference, and to actually get some real pre-ship shippy stuff down. And Nick and Kim were pretty unplanned here, but here goes nothing!
> 
> This also skips further ahead of the other established fics in this series, but the blanks will totally get filled in later on.

“Almost there?”

Sharky held onto her tight, making sure she wasn’t going to fall. “We sure are, chica. I can see their house from here.”

It wasn’t entirely a lie, he could see parts of Nick and Kim’s through the trees ahead, but it wasn’t the clearest of shots. Still, he heard her chuckle, and felt her lean into him more with each step.

He was half-dragging her by the time they got to their front porch, and she set herself down on one of their chairs. When he crouched down to look her in the eye, she couldn’t hold the look. Just kept on letting her attention skim him as her head bobbed in place.

“I think,” Hana started, holding her eyes open for a few seconds as she blinked, “…I don’t actually feel that great after all.”

“You’re not looking great, shorty. Not gonna lie about that.” He looked her over, taking in how pale she was starting to look, and worry set in quick. “Sit tight, and I’ll be right back.”

He got up to ring the doorbell, trying not to pace in place, and found himself knocking only seconds after going for the bell. “Yo, Nick? Kim? Either of you home?” No one answered immediately, and he shoved his hands into his pockets to keep from jabbing the bell again.

“Coming!” A voice eventually answered, just as he started to pace in earnest. He glanced over at Hana, watched her give the weakest thumbs up he’d ever seen, and knocked on the door even harder.

“I’m coming, can you calm down a little!” Kim opened the door, and she gave him a surprised look. “Oh, hey! Didn’t expect to have you drop by like this, not without a call at least. Hana with you?”

“Yeah, that’s just the thing,” he began, talking fast. “We would’ve, but we were in the area, and H wasn’t looking all that hot after we had to run from those cows, then it was pouring, and we were trudging through-“

“Sharky, seriously, it’s fine-“

“And since you’ve still got that bun baking up in there, we didn’t wanna cause any problems, but Dep’s not feeling right enough to make it down the road even with help. Think we nearly fell twice just trying to get up the stairs, and we’re both stone cold sober. Back me up on this, chica, because the lines we were walking were like this.”

He mimed the movement, showing the rise and fall of a wave as it jumped back and forth with his hand, and watched Kim blink at him. Hana, however, he didn’t hear a peep from.

His hand came to a stop mid-wave. “Uh, Dep?”

She was out. Out like a light, judging from the way she was slumped against the chair, and he ran right to her with Kim on his heels.

“Hey, H? Yo, you there?” Nothing. He put a hand on her shoulder, shaking her gently, and her eyelids fluttered, but didn’t open. That made him tense immediately.

“Shit, you weren’t kidding,” Kim said, getting a good look at her. “Quick, let’s get her inside.”

Sharky pulled her up, placing her arm over his shoulders before getting his arm under her knees, and by the time they were through the door, she was mumbling against his shoulder. Not much better, but she was saying something at least. He’d take it, even if he wanted to babble right back at her just to see if she’d understand him too.

“Okay, put her here for now, and I’ll just…” Kim pointed towards the couch, and stood in the living room for a few seconds before heading upstairs. “Blankets! I’m grabbing blankets. Grab some water from the kitchen!”

Setting her down wasn’t hard, and he spent probably too much time trying to arrange the pillows beneath her head to get her comfortable, but he tried. Watched her face for a few seconds too long for anything off before forcing himself to step away to grab just what Kim said to grab.

She just didn’t say to place it in what, and he went right for a glass, because Hana needed something to drink, right? He went with that first, and headed right back to the living room. By then Kim was on her way down with blankets, and between the two of them they were able to finally get her settled in.

So, there she was, under two blankets, both tugged up to her chin. It would’ve been a funny sight, and one he was sure they’d both be laughing about, if he wasn’t left wondering just what it’d take for her to feel better again.

Her forehead was warm, but not feverish, and she wasn’t shot or bleeding. The lack of color to her was a problem, and she still tried to say things every now and then. Just nothing the two of them could really join into a sentence that made sense.

“Look, I’ll call Nick,” Kim said, running her hands through her hair. “He was out over by the airstrip, but there’s a clinic nearby. It’s the same one we’ve gone to for our checkups. Last I heard, there’s a nurse out over there that John managed to miss, and we’ve spoken to her on and off for the last few weeks. Maybe we can get her over here and have her take a look.”

He nodded, standing there awkwardly. “Yeah. If anyone’ll know what this shit is, it’ll probably be her, right? You want me to go grab her?”

The words were out before he could think against it, and he was torn. It wasn’t completely safe on the roads, not with the convoys John still had running. The nurse would need someone to get her here safely.

But Kim needed Nick. They had a kid-shaped situation they were still working out, and taking him away during that wouldn’t help.

As for them, Hana had a bunch of people willing to have her back, but right now all she had was him. Kim and Nick counted too, but they hadn’t spent days with her on the road.

And why didn’t he notice it sooner? Most of the day had been as close to normal as others spent in the valley, minus any help that could’ve come from Grace. She was off running shooting exercises with the Resistance, and wasn’t going to be back for another day or two. So, Hana said they’d stick to what worked for them.

They’d wake up, pick a new target guaranteed to get John mad – and fuck that guy, Sharky just wished there were more signs to mess with to really get him steamed - but the target that day had more to do with cow wrangling than actual damage.

“Think re-appropriation of resources,” Hana had said. Kind of disappointing, but she promised him they’d hit a silo on the way back for old time’s sake.

Up until the downpour he hadn’t suspected much either. She’d even been laughing at him earlier when he’d slipped in a muddy patch, even when he’d tried to drag her down with him.

With her sunglasses perched on her head, he’d focused on her grin as she helped him back up, not the sleepy look in her eyes. Sure, he’d looked into them and let himself enjoy that for a few seconds too, but didn’t have a chance to say anything before the two had to break into a run. Getting stampeded by a herd of pissed off cows was not how he planned on dying, and was going to fight that if given the option.

Mid-run she had started slowing down and breathing hard, and that’s when he could really see how beat she seemed. How she couldn’t wave him off, or keep on downplaying the points earlier when she had been staring off into the distance. She hadn’t bothered waking him up for watch a few nights back when they had to camp out either, and he found himself wondering how much sleep she had been getting.

Either way, it was too late now, he told himself, shaking himself out of it. Sitting here worrying about her wasn’t doing shit for her. Getting some kind of doctor or nurse here was the better option.

“Where’s the clinic at?”

“It’s not too far from here, but…”

“You two got any wheels?” he asked, pointing towards the door.

“We do. Just our old truck out back. Sharky. Hey, wait.” He got as far as two feet from the front when Kim grabbed his arm. “Sharky, stop for a couple of seconds, okay?”

“Kim, you two are great,” he said, turning towards her, “but you really wanna send Nick out there? I’ll go, grab her, be back before the sun’s down, we find out what’s really going on with H in there, and then we get her some kind of get-well fast shot, something guaranteed to punch the shit in of whatever’s bothering her. Then we go back to our usual thing, kicking more Peggie ass once she’s up for it, and it’s all fine!”

“Fine?”

“Finer than fine.”

It was easier to buy when he put it like that. He just didn’t like that he was trying to convince himself of it as much as Kim.

She stood there, ready to say something to argue against him, but let it go. “I’ll have to call her anyway to tell her you’re not out to kidnap her, but…okay. You know how to get there?”

“Uh, no. But you’re good at directions, right?”

The exasperated exhale she gave told him what she thought of that.

* * *

It was not as easy as he hoped. There was a shortcut, and an actual path, and he didn’t wait for Kim to explain it further. Just took the quicker way at upwards of eighty, and didn’t think about the crowds of trees bombarding him.

He needed to be fast. Careful always came later, but Sharky did feel sweat start to gather on his brow when a moose nearly blindsided him.

_Can’t help if you’re dead. Can’t do shit if you’re dead,_ his mind told him after that, and he eased off. Went more for fifty-five when the road kept on being squirrely.

The clinic came up ahead, and he tried not to make too much of a show of stopping. The squealing of the tires rang out loud as he skidded, and he winced. If anyone was paying attention, that would be the thing to check out, and he hopped out to head inside.

It wasn’t hard to find the nurse, a woman named Danielle, and he shouted out who he was before barging in further. She had been hiding, with a gun out by her side, and had been ready to put two in any Peggie that might’ve barged in. Lucky for him he gave her the warning, but that didn’t make her any less nervous as they made their way back outside. 

They were back on the road in no time flat. Nick was on the radio by this point, arguing with him about the entire thing, and he nearly clipped a sedan going in the opposite direction when the two couldn’t come to a truce over what was worse, heading out there half-cocked alone, or leaving Kim with only a down and out deputy to defend her.

It was a stupid fight, and even Danielle tried to get them both to cool it. But they kept up with it, only letting it go when Kim came through on the other end to put a pin in things.

When they rolled up in front of the house, he hit the brakes harder than intended, getting his second screech in of the day. Only Danielle’s seatbelt kept her from jumping forward, and he gave her an apologetic look before helping her get out.

After that it was a matter of getting her inside the house, and once Danielle crossed the threshold, she was all business. Making a promise to check with Kim once she was done, she settled down by the couch and started asking questions.

‘When did this start? What are her symptoms? What has she eaten?’ were a few of them. Most he was able to answer. Others he wished he had more to give, and trailed off as she started checking Hana in earnest.

It was completely out of their hands. But right at the back, watching her work, he couldn’t sit still. Not like this.

Ducking outside, he took Hana’s spare pack of cigarettes and lit one up. He’d meant it when he’d told her he didn’t need them as much as she did, but it was a way of getting his lighter out without lighting anything up, and he’d pay her back. Shit, he’d get her five packs if she wanted them.

One cigarette turned into two, and by the time he went for the third he found himself threatening to wear a hole into the porch from the path he kept on taking. Fiddling with his lighter wasn’t much better. The click that came with opening and closing it helped at first, but the longer it was open, the more he wanted to use it, and the urge built with every repeated motion.

It was when he started eyeing a dry patch of brush nearby for maybe one small controlled fire, that the door to Nick and Kim’s house finally opened. He’d hoped for the nurse, but found himself looking over at Nick instead.

The disappointment showed, judging from Nick’s reaction. He shook his head at him and held out a beer. “Well, glad to see you too. Thought you might need this.”

Sharky hastily put out what was left of his cigarette before taking it. “…This fucking sucks.”

“Yeah, it does. It’s weird seeing her laid out like that. The Deputy, our big damn hero, resting right in the other room half-covered in mud on my couch. Weird and wild, and just another day here in Hope County.”

“Spent half of ours mud-wrestling, and it wasn’t even the fun kind. No extra ladies, no cheering while we’re making it rain. Just cows. Lots of fighting off cows,” Sharky muttered. “…And sorry about the couch. Didn’t think we’d drag that much in.”

“Don’t worry about the damn couch. We’ll clean it later.” Nick placed a hand on his shoulder. “But Shark, I mean it. Just drink, kick back, and chill the fuck out for a bit. She’s in good hands, and you’re watching her too, so nothing bad’ll happen. Long as you don’t look at her wrong, that is.”

“That’s nice, man. Real nice coming from a stand-up dude like yourself.” Sharky flashed him the finger after the jab, but managed a smile. “You still think relaxing’s the way to go?”

“There’s nothing else to do, but that. And after that, sleep. You both probably need it. What was this I was hearing about being out there for a week straight without getting in a single wink?”

“It wasn’t, but some nights you hear something howling and that’ll ruin any good feelings about a spot. You can’t stop, and Hana here just…didn’t stop either.” He jabbed a thumb into his chest. “That was on me.”

“Hey, don’t beat yourself up about it, okay? You can play the blame game all you want leading up to this, but accidents happen. And when she needed you, you brought her here and got her help. Think about that too.”

Nick gave him one solid pat on the arm and the two settled into silence after that. Forgetting the lighter for the beer, he cracked it open and tried not to drain it too fast.

After a minute, however, Nick spoke up again. “Sorry.”

“About what?”

“About…being a real shitbird earlier. Neither of us were entirely in the right, but I get what you tried to do. Hell, what you did do.”

Sharky glanced over at him, and gave a small shrug. “It’s nothing. She would’ve done it for me. Probably wouldn’t have hit half of the shit I did on the way up and back either.”

“Nah, you were thinking of Kim, and there’s no two ways about it, I am stressing the fuck out over little Nick Jr. in there. It’s settling in and making me short with a whole lot of people I’d rather not be, and I don’t wanna leave that hanging between us. So, I’m sorry.”

Sharky held out his fist, and smiled when Nick returned the fistbump. “We’re cool.”

“Might owe me a few for new tires for the truck, though.”

“Man, what the fuck!” he exclaimed, and Nick burst out laughing. “Starting with we’re cool, and bros and shit, before going into that.”

“There’s enough rubber on them left to use, but I know a bald set of tires when I see them.” Nick stopped to take a drink, and pointed towards the truck. “They were looking mighty fine this morning before heading out on the road. Now...”

Sharky threw up his hands in exasperation, but chugged down the last of the beer first, making sure it wasn’t about to go to waste. He wanted to go another round? Round two was on. 

That was when the door to the house opened, and Sharky snapped his mouth shut when Danielle stepped out. He hadn’t tried to get his hopes up before, but with her looking both glad and relieved, it was hard not to.

“All right. No need to keep on hanging back here. Everything’s clear.”

Sharky felt his heart jump, and Nick turned towards her as well. “Clear?”

“Well, almost. Come inside and see.”

She waved them inside, and they quickly followed her in.

Hana was still one blanket short of a burrito on the couch, but seemed comfortable now. No longer half as close to miserable as she had been before, and actually looked like she was resting.

But what had knocked her clear out? In the end, Danielle gave them all the simplest answer. Exhaustion, and what was looking to be a mild cold. Nothing rest, food, and water wouldn’t fix.

The heavy feeling sinking into him lifted, and he took in a deep breath before letting it out. Hana wasn’t up and moving around yet, but this wasn’t the major fuck up he’d been dreading. She would be able to bounce back from this, and they’d be out and about in no time.

Hanging back while she packed up, Sharky found himself wandering over by the couch, and rested his arms on the back of it. Curled up below, Hana had turned her face into her pillow, and was dozing along, completely at peace. The blanket had inched down below her shoulders, however, and he reached down to tug it back up.

“We got you, shorty. Told you we would.”

* * *

It was tough to sleep, but he managed it, camping out nearby just in case she woke up in the middle of the night.

When morning came around, he yawned, stretching his arms out wide before peeking over at the couch next to him. He nearly rolled off of it onto the floor when he saw a pair of dark eyes staring over at him. Her red hair was a mess, sticking up as she tried to sit up to look at him, and she let out a long sigh.

“Fuck me running,” Hana murmured. “The roller coaster come to a proper stop yet?”

He got up, and found himself split between hugging her, and yelling for Nick and Kim. When neither decision seemed to win, he opted instead for giving her the glass of water by her side. “Not even close. It’s been going non-stop ever since you fainted outside.”

“Fainted? Ugh.” She took the glass, and gulped down a mouthful of water before handing it back. Her voice was rough as she closed her eyes, but wasn’t pained.

“Yeah, Kim and Nick were cool with setting us up - shit, they’re still cool, just sleeping - and we had to get a nurse in here to look you over. It’s all fine now, but it was tough for a few hours the night before.”

“Don’t tell Grace. She’ll give me so much shit if she hears about this.”

“About the fainting bit, the nurse and not getting back up part, or where I had to carry you inside all heroic-like?”

“Hush, you. I only have your word on the last one, so for all I know, you’re embellishing it.” She pulled the blankets up and over her head, and Sharky couldn’t help but laugh. “I hear you out there! Don’t think I can’t, even with this up.”

“Just saying it was pretty great. All dramatic, looking every bit the sexy outlaw that we both know I am.”

The blanket shook as he heard her muffled laughter come right through, but it soon gave way to a set of coughs. “Totally,” she rasped. “But Mr. Sexy over here better cool it before he makes his cop friend hack up a lung. Got it?”

She waved him off, reaching out from under the blanket, and he let his posture relax. “Okay, shorty. Holler if you need anything.”

The rest of the morning he spent wandering between the living room and kitchen, trying not to poke around at too much until Kim came downstairs to check on them.

Having over ten hours of rest really did the trick. She didn’t seem confused or dazed, was up for talking as long as there were breaks, and took any food that they offered. All good signs, and Sharky set himself up to help out when he wasn’t tailing Nick and Kim for ideas on other things he should be doing. By the early afternoon he was officially banished to the living room.

Which led him to his current idea, as he sorted through the books and magazines nearby. He felt Hana’s eyes on him as he looked around, but she didn’t speak up or say anything. Just kept on watching until he picked up a magazine, gave it an approving smile and sat down by her on the couch.

“Uh, so to help you kick back and take it easy, I figured I’d read something to you. Not that there’s much down here, and I didn’t want to dig through their things upstairs or go for any of the baby stuff. This plane mag’s not bad, though.” Sharky flipped through it, going for the main story in the middle. “Kinda wish I had one of my comics on me from home, because at least I could do the sound effects and make it a whole lot more fun to listen to.”

“Hey, you don’t have to worry about doing that stuff.”

“It’s something I know I’d like when I’m feeling lower than dirt, so…”

Her next few words were soft, and he almost missed them. “You’re a sweetheart, you know that?”

He sat there stiff as a board for a few seconds, staring right at the picture of the pilot in the magazine, and wasn’t sure if he should look at her or not.

“Because you know you don’t have to do this.”

“Don’t what?” he asked, talking around the growing lump in his throat. “I said I had you covered, shorty. Rain or shine.”

“Ride or die?” She coughed, and he couldn’t help but look at her. Her lips were twisted into a frown, but they didn’t stay that way as she relaxed. “I’m not dying, man. It’s okay. And sticking close’s a recipe for getting sick yourself, so I’d really hate to be to blame for that.”

He was leaning down towards her to hear, and she did have a point. Just one he wasn’t too bothered by. “But if you need anything-“

“They’re in the same house, Shark. Or area. I’m not dying here. Just spoiled rotten by you for the moment.” She was still sleepy, but the smile she wore was bright as ever. “Careful, or I’ll get used to this.”

He wouldn’t have minded that. Not one bit. The words were a second away from spilling out of his mouth too, when he let the moment go. “I’ll shotgun some OJ from the kitchen, and I don’t know. Eat five pounds of apples or something. Might grab you a few for later too.”

The magazine was scrunched together between his hands, and he let it curl back out.

“Now I’m gonna go ahead and try this, but if this blows, or if you’re about to take a cue from the Exorcist let me know and I’ll put the brakes on.” He cleared his throat, and flipped back to the story in question. “If you ever wanted to fly a plane in Wyoming-“

“Wait a sec. Wyoming?”

He looked over at her, then back at the magazine. “Yeah, she’s from Wyoming. The pilot. She did a trip where you go from the Pacific to the Atlantic, but made a few stops here and there along the way.”

“Just to get away from Wyoming, I bet. …Actually, no. That’s pretty mean to say. I don’t even know that much about the place, except that the license plates have a guy on a horse on them.”

“Mountains are nice. If you like mountains.”

“I could. Oh, and there is Yellowstone,” Hana said, perking up. “Doesn’t it have that supervolcano? Like, the one totally on the verge of popping?”

“Shit, you’re right. That’s right in our backyard.”

“Oof. Nice having a potential front row seat to that. Probably won’t go the way of what 2012 showed us, but…” He started chuckling, and she paused. “What? You really don’t think the Earth’s just a ball of magma, and the continents are skidding along the top like some kind of demented air hockey game?”

“Nah, just…I fucking saw that, and didn’t think anyone would ever bring it up. Ever.”

She gave him a look. “Are you questioning my movie taste?”

“Only thing I’m questioning is why you didn’t move here sooner.”

Surprise crossed her face, but as it faded, the corners of her mouth curved up and he found himself on the other end of one of those smiles of hers. The kind that he didn’t want her to stop giving away. “Anyway, you were talking about that pilot before I derailed you. Did she want to do anything other than hit the coasts?”

Forcing himself to go back to the magazine – again, he pointed out – he gave the words in front of him a quick read. “Uh, yeah. She wanted to see how long it’d take with her class of plane. Hit a record or two.”

“Cool stuff.”

“The goal was always to get back home, though.”

There was a light hum as she thought it over. “I feel that. Finding home again. …You can keep on going if you want.” She propped her head up on one arm to look at him, but kept the blanket tucked under her chin. “You’re right. It is nice.”

Not quite hiding the smile that earned, he went right back to the beginning, and started over, making sure she could hear every word.


End file.
